ABC = Always Be Closing

The call came in with four business days left in the month.  The voice on the other end was tense and urgent…a sale had been forecasted this month and there had been no response from the buyer in more than a week.

About four months prior, I helped a colleague get into a sales cycle with my company.  He sold me on trying the demo for a few weeks (Puppy Dog Close!).  I saw the benefits over our current supplier and introduced him to the head of Sales, who is always looking for ways to increase Sales productivity.  After a successful trial period with a few power users, we got support from my boss who was in fact the “Executive Sponsor” to move forward.  

“Hey, have you seen ­­­your boss?”, asked the caller.  “Not lately, why do you ask?”, I replied.  The words poured forth.  The story was that my boss, identified as the 'Decision Maker", negotiated the deal, gave the verbal then went silent.  On top of that the sales guy just got a new SVP who was pressing the team on forecast accuracy.  It wasn’t hard to read between the lines, “I need this deal or my ass is grass!”

I asked for details and what happened last and what was supposed to happen next. I drilled down with him asking where the contract was in Legal (Did you get redlines yet?) and whether or not my boss’ boss had approved the deal, since the cost required GM level approval (the Decision Maker!?).  I let him know my boss was scheduled to return from his vacation the next week...three days after the end of the month.  You could’ve heard a pin drop.

This is not an uncommon mistake in our profession.  Many of us get the verbal and we STOP.  Hopefully, you’ve seen Baldwin’s scene in Glengarry, Glen Ross where he delivers a litany of Sales advice for Mitch & Murray’s underperforming sales team, including ABC – Always Be Closing.   Even in today’s age of sophisticated buyers and consultative selling, ABC is critical because it allows us to understand the extent to which the customer is motivated to buy while ferreting out any outstanding objections.

Next was something like, “Oh, (expletive), can you help me?”  And so I did and the deal was consummated before month end.   It was a good win all around and a good lesson for all of us.  The next time you get a verbal commitment, DON’T STOP.  Go the distance with your client by making sure you know exactly what needs to happen on their side to complete the transaction.  

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